Port encouraging ‘green’ modes of transportation to festival

To encourage guests to use “greener” transportation, the Port of Long Beach is offering free Long Beach Transit bus passes and bicycle valet services at Green Port Fest ’09, the Port’s annual open house, on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10am to 3pm.
Those riding bikes to Green Port Fest will be escorted by members of the bicycle-advocacy group Long Beach Cyclists from the downtown Promenade near First Street to festival grounds and the bicycle valet service. The guided rides will leave every 45 minutes starting at 9:30am until 1:15pm.
During the festival, the Port will offer guided bicycle tours at 11:30am and 1pm, taking riders to a proposed recreation trail that runs along the Port waterfront and down Pier J for a scenic look at Long Beach Harbor and the downtown Long Beach skyline. Attendees must bring their own bicycles.
The free bus passes may be obtained by calling the Port at (562) 590-4121 (allow time for pass to be mailed). Bus riders can plan their trips with Long Beach Transit’s “trip planner” by listing the Queen Mary as the final destination. The trip will include a transfer to the Passport C red shuttle, which ends at the Queen Mary. Other shuttles will run continuously from the Queen Mary to the event entrance.
For those driving to the event, the Port is encouraging carpooling. Free parking is available at the Long Beach Convention Center in the lot at Shoreline Drive and Linden Avenue. From the 710 Freeway, take the downtown exit.
Green Port Fest attendees will learn about port operations and environmental initiatives such as shore power, which decreases pollution from docked ships, as well as water quality programs that protect local marine wildlife and much more. The free event will feature dozens of interactive exhibits and tours of the Port by boat and train. Last year about 10,000 people attended Green Port Fest, making it one of Long Beach’s largest public events.